indycohiba

I am getting ready to place an order for the following R2 DVDs from Benson World. I would like to know if any of them have quality issues (picture, sound, burned in subs, compatability, etc.)or if there are plans for better releases in the near future. Any advice would be appreciated. I just ordered a Malata 520 which will be arriving soon.

Police Story
Police Story 2
Kagemusha (aka The Shadow Warrior)
Fanny And Alexander
Magician, The (aka The Face)
Silence, The
Through A Glass Darkly
Winter Light
Smiles Of A Summer Night
Stray Dog
Europa Europa
Italian Job, The
Europa
Lost Highway
Ivan`s Childhood
Solaris
Blade, The
Vanishing Point
La Dolce Vita

codefree

Police Story 1 & 2 are from Hong Kong Legends and are the best representations of these movies available on DVD.

jonathan.e

Avoid La Dolce Vita, it’s a quite a poor release although sadly the only one available. Rest looks like a solid order although you may want to check www.amazon.fr for the Bergman titles as I believe there’s a box set available (could be cheaper). The UK R2s were mastered using the French transfers so as long as they have English subs they’d be identical. Benson’s also have keen prices on other Hong Kong Legends releases so it might be worth a look through before placing your order.

ScreachingWeasel

Solaris will be released by Criterion probably in December, so you might want to hold off of on that one. I'm pretty positive the will also release some of the Bergman dvds as well at some point like the Magician, but who knows when that will happen, it could be years from now. Other than La Dolce Vita(Another possible Criterion release) I think the rest are the best or only versions available.

indycohiba

Thanks for all of your input. I will not pick up La Dolce Vita. Let's hope for a Criterion release soon. I will also wait for the Criterion release of Solaris. I am really looking forward to this order.

Chuck Tatum

The UK Solaris is really good, i've watched it twice now. But it's really the Ruscico release with Artifical Eye packaging. Very strong transfer and with removable Subs. I don't whether the Criterion release will have additional extras, but it might get overshadowed by the release of Soderberg's remake.

The Italian Job is a great SE with some cool commentary and extras, again a movie that's being remade, so I wonder if Paramount will release it will all the bells-n-whistles as the UK release.

The Artifical Eye Bergman set is quite good, strong tranfer with great b&w contrast, I recommend it. I don't know if Criterion will get around to releasing many of these, some that had rights to as LD, some they didn't. But judging by the recent release of Wild Strawberries, it could easier be worth the wait.

I didn't know that Lost Highway was available as a R2, I know that there is an Australian R4 release. I keep planning to buy it, but haven't.

Doc Moonlight

I was mildly dissappointed in the transfer of KAGEMUSHA. It'a kind of grainy. Not really a bad transfer, but not as good as the film deserves.

Butch Coolidge

I guess it is the A.I. syndrome. Grain does not tranfer nicelly on DVD. The film is grainy the DVD will be grainy.
Be carrefull that it is the international version (shorter than the Japanese release). And the subtitles are for the hard hearing

100% the YOU

Can anyone please post a link to the Bergman set? I searched on amazon.fr and couldn't find it.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

ScreachingWeasel

The Bergman dvds are from Tartan in the UK. I don't remember exactly what has been released, but if you do a search on Bensonsworld or Amazon.uk you should be able to see them all.

Butch Coolidge

Europa (Lars Van Trier) is zoomed (my guess is worth, pan&scan to fit 16x9 screen).
The irony is this DVD having the trailer in the correct aspect ratio !

Shame on Tartan !